Shop name Redbean in Zhongsan Street in Rugao with Redbean in Chinese script. Notice the models were Chinese but the signs were in English, in the heart of China.

1/01/2016

The happenings and achievements of the year

The
USA’s achievements of the
year, launching Apple iphone6, forming TTP, sailing warship and flying
warplanes to challenge China, sending more boots into Syria, signing more military
pacts with more American allies, issuing more threats and sanctions against Iran and North Korea.

The
achievements of China, launching One Belt One
Road, forming AIIB, signing contracts to build bullet trains in Indonesia, Thailand and the USA, launching new brand
names like Alibaba, Xiaomi, reclaiming islands from the sea, building train
network to Europe and Africa.

What
are the achievements of Singapore? Celebrating SG50, found a buyer for NOL,
making Kopitiam and NTUC Fairprice the new brand names of emerging enterprises,
Khaw Boon Wan incharge of running the train system, new train downtown line, hosting
American spy planes to conduct Freedom of Navigation in South China Sea, new
museum and art galleries, SGX winning the best regulated stock exchange in the
world, building smart cities in India. The list is very long.

Singapore probably achieved more
than the two super powers, not forgetting punching above its weight. I could
have added buying F35s but not sure if the deal is on or off. Oh, planning to
have lesser cars and more car free days and more walking and bicycle lanes.
This is the new aspiration of Singaporeans, not to buy cars.

George Lucas declined to take up the role of Mentor Director on the new Star Wars Film "The Force Awakens"---------------------------Talking to The Washington Post, the filmmaker (George Lucas) discussed why he didn’t want to work on the new movie, saying:

"There is no such thing as working over someone’s shoulder. You’re either the dictator or you’re not. And to do that would never work, so I said ‘I’m going to get divorced.’ . . . I knew that I couldn’t be involved. All I’d do is make them miserable. I’d make myself miserable. It would probably ruin a vision — J.J. has a vision, and it’s his vision."----------------------------------------

I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be to try to work in that situation, to see this world that you created, that you birthed and steered across decades, in the hands of other people. It would probably be damn near impossible for him to contribute to a Star Wars movie that he wasn’t in control of, having to hold his tongue as the new generation made decisions and choices that impact what he made. He’d just bum out everyone involved, including himself. It’s probably for the best that he stayed away.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Why-George-Lucas-Didn-t-Work-Star-Wars-Force-Awakens-98057.html------------------------You gotta love these Americans.They know when to let go and fuck off into the sunset.Unlike Chinese Emperors who hang around until you are glad to see them die.

2016 is likely shaping to be a ( huge ) challenge in domestic, regional and global economics, geo-politics and the domestic politics shaping up in many ( important ) countries and the positioning to make either way.

The actions and outcomes are likely to have ( far reaching ) implications way beyond 2016.

Would the Conmittee for Future Economy make the right diagnosis, come up with the right blueprints, press the right buttons, "pull the right triggers", ensnare the right targets or is it all hogwash, TKSS ( sessions to get free expensive tea breaks, lunches and dinners on the account of the taxpayers during working hours and while away precious time that is ticking away), another PR disaster to showcase bankruptcy of ideas and plain simple leeches undoing all the good works achieved and otw to turning a powerhouse into an abyss?

Time will tell? The reading on the walls tells that YEW will likely be in for a huge disappointment and dismay? SG51 TO SG100 is a journey ( sadly ) back to where it started? The 70% eyes paste stamps? Duds are just duds? They are just having a ( jolly ) good time ( all the while at the taxpayers expense )? SG101 could be like SG001, a year to start all over again?

Hope it is not more of Botak's "TLLM" ( Teach Less Learn More ) motherhood type statements made in the 2000s?

After more than 10 years ( since 2004 ), what has "TLLM" delivered on the ground ( "other than own self amused own self reports being submitted ")?

Randomly select 30 or 100 students ( from the system ) and YEW will likely be appalled ( by how little they have actually learned from the system other than to pass exam )? And most students might admit that is so? They are not ( most of the time interested in ) learning whatsoever other than just to pass exam? What a great job all the MOE ministars have done in the past 21/2 decades since the political leedership baton was passed to lao goa? Given such ( outcomes in the system ), how is the economy going to face the challenges ahead? Are they just a simply kicking the cans down the road and passing ( all ) the problems to future generations ( but all while collecting fat pay cheques, bonuses, perks, privileges etc )?

Can all the above-mentioned policies rolled out since 1990 ( when Lao goa took over ) ENHANCED sinkieland's international competitiveness in anyway except monetizing and eroding what were built and accumulated in the first 20 years of nation building by the PG?

By INDISCRIMINATELY, SELFISHLY and SELF-SERVINGLY harvesting almost all the low-hanging and mod-hanging fruits and even some of the high-hanging fruits, what have lao goa and his cohort left for the future younger generations?

Some "dying" BOTAK fruit trees with nothing much left except to keep them alive?

Living the future younger generations with all the hard labour to toil, shit to take care and almost no more fruits to harvest?

Now at Changi Beach. Gave up buying the nasi lemak nearby. The ( long ) queue was so snaky and slow moving. For 20mins it hardly moved. And many stalls were like that. Gave up and bought some bread from convenient store. Yew see? Having 100 people per foot field after foot field endlessly and doing every single biz necessary to survive - shit, eat, sleep, play, work, rest, study, exercise, walk, run, jump, skate, cycle, roller blade, swim, work-out, drink, zumba etc in such close proximity is akin to every 100 rats housed in a 10 sq feet cage after cage?

Will there be long term built-up, pent-up frustrations and "explosions"?

Can a small 718 sq km island sustain such a labour-intensive economic model and deteriorating demographic trend?

Hypothetically when the original 6.9m indigenous sinkies and imported instant trees aged and produced far from sufficient babies to maintain the eco-system, does it mean bringing in another say 5m to maintain the economy?

Where does it end?

How much can the tiny island withstand?

By then, there will be about "300 rats in every 10 sq feet cage" fighting for space to do all the "daily bizes" mentioned above, clawing and hurting each other hoping to get the space they need?

At the other side of the equation to the more than half-million pigeon holes and more than 0.1 million $$$ functional 4 wheels are the stagnating or rather declining real wage of fresh graduates in the past 25 years relative to cost of living in general and housing and private transportation in particular.

Imagine on the left hand side, the scale weighs more than $600,000 just with pigeon hole housing and lao pok kar, not yet counting the high monthly living costs?

On the right hand side, fresh graduates start off with a meagre 2k+ to 3k+ salary on average?

How would the scale look like?

What prospects would a typical sinkie have after slogging for almost 20 years in the pressure cooker system in their studies only to realise the shit ( dead end? ) they are in?

What prospects ( or shit holes ) have lao goa and his cohort "dug" for sinkies especially the future younger generations?

Yew tell me?

Do they care?

Yew die YEWR business?

What can sinkies do except keeping walking in the dark tunnel day in day out hoping there is light at the end of the perpetually dark tunnels when mathematically it is impossible and in reality their fates are sealed and cast in stones?

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As owner of this blog, I bear no responsibility to what other contributors/bloggers may post. I encourage all to speak freely without indulging in libel or defamatory content. Anyone who feels offended by any posting can email me and I will remove the offending article if appropriate. Contact me at redbeansg@yahoo.com